To the ardent Christian or Muslim, the hypothesis cum myth surrounding the authenticity of the fabled Queen of Sheba- whom locals of Oke-Eri refer to as Bilikisu Sugbon is no more than a grandiose yarn. It however commands a near cultic appeal from several individuals who join the throng of over 15, 000 inhabitants of Oke-Eri and thousands from all over the world to revere the so-called legendary queen attested to in the Bible and Quran.
The sleepy village of Oke-Eri has a close proximity to Ijebu-Ode, one of the vibrant towns in Ogun State. There was barely anything sunny about Oke-Eri before the mythical burial ground of the controversial queen came to limelight about a century ago. The adulated resting spot of Birikisu Sungbo is beneath a shed about 80 feet long, made of corrugated iron sheets, underneath had been swept clean and at the northern fringe of it was a sepulcher marked by white iron fence and about six feet in length. When one passes through the outer gate, which had a majestic look with a faded inscription Her Majesty, Bilikisu Sungbo, one will be required to remove the shoes.
Who was Bilikisu Sungbo?
While the authenticity of Bilikisu Sugbon being the original Queen of Sheba remains an issue of controversy, the historical antecedents of who the Queen of Sheba was, would serve as a prelude. Identified as the Queen of Sheba in the bible and as Bilqis in the Quran, both religions believe that she eventually had an affinity with King Solomon. The three oldest religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam had mentioned her existence and the role she played in the affairs of the Middle East around 10 century BC. The Jewish and Christian beliefs had a Biblical root in 1 Kings 10:1-13, where a certain Queen of Sheba had visited King Solomon of Israel to prove his wisdom with hard questions, she also bore gifts in much gold and incense. According to the Bible, she gave Solomon 120 talents of gold (worth $10 million), attesting to the wealth of her kingdom, Sheba. Solomon was said to have answered her queries and the queen left impressed and amazed at the splendor of the king.
In the Quran, Surah a-n-Nami, (Chapter 27) gave an interesting detail of the Queen who came from Saba in present day Yemen. The Quran records that she was invited by King Suleiman to convert to Islam, while she contemplated the invitation in conference with her subjects; she decided to visit Suleiman and converted to Islam with her subjects.
But there are more interesting records of the Queen. In the Ethiopian compilation Kebra Negast , the Queen visited Solomon for six months after which she was outwitted by the crafty King to become his lover. When she returned to her country, she was pregnant and bore a son, Menelik who became the first King of Ethiopia and founder of the Solomonic monarchy in Africa. At the age of 22, Menelik visited his father and brought back the Ark of the Covenant thereby founding the Jewish religion in Africa.
There is virtually no other charm in this little enclave apart from for Sungbo’s Eredo; the resting spot of the legendary Queen of Sheba known to everyone in the community. Oke-Eri is often a Mecca of some sorts during festive seasons as the village plays host to thousands of tourists who have come to worship at the tomb of Bilikisu Sugbon. Sungbo Eredo’s shrine is believed to possess supernatural powers that lend credence to the majesty of the famous queen. Most fabulous in the yarn of mysteries surrounding this shrine is that no dirt has ever occupied Bilikisu’s resting place. Before the construction of a shade, there used to be four trees at the four corners of the grave believed to provide an arch over it.
Despite the enormous tourism potential that abounds in this rampart, Sungbo Eredo remains an unheralded tourism destination due to the lack of empirical evidence to support the oral hypothesis. The site drew worldwide acclaim in September 1999 when a group of archaeologists from the Bournemouth University led by Dr. Patrick Darling made the first ever recorded scientific attempt at uncovering the mysteries behind the famed grave of the Queen of Sheba. Closely associated with Bilikisu was the Sungbo Eredo wall. Darling and his team made excavations at the wall but could not link it to Bilikisu Sugbon. Bilikisu’s grave would have assume a more important potential in world tourism and even rival the great pyramids of Egypt going by the fact that the builders would have shifted an estimated 3.5 million cubic metres of earth during construction of the ramparts. This is one million cubic metres more than the amount of rock and earth used in the Great Pyramid at Giza. Although, oral tradition believes that Bilikisu did put up the edifice with the help of her slaves and workers, the authenticity or otherwise is likely to remain a legend till generations to come.
